Having Trouble Sleeping?

Are you having trouble getting to sleep?

If so, you are not alone!

“Two new reports on the prevalence of unhealthy sleep behaviors and self-reported sleep-related difficulties among U.S. adults provide further evidence that insufficient sleep is an important public health concern.” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention even called insufficient sleep, a public health epidemic last year! 1 in 10 adults have insomnia, and 1 in 2000 people suffer from narcolepsy. Sleep problems are incredibly common in the U.S. but that doesn’t make it ok for us to just ignore, and do nothing about.

No matter what your age is, not getting enough sleep, is bad for your health. Research shows us that not getting enough sleep does all kinds of bad things to your body and mind. Sleep deprivation causes us to eat more, is linked to type 2 diabetes, and leads to slower reactions times. Slower reaction times can impair driving and according to reports, falling asleep at the wheel is 2nd in line to drinking for most common cause for wrecks. Poor sleep also can suppress your immune system and cause you to get sick more often.

SO! How many hours of sleep SHOULD you be getting? Well, it depends on your age! Take a look at the following information on how many hours of sleep you should get depending on your age according to a CNN article.

There are now nine age categories, some of them new. Anything more or less than the identified range is simply not recommended:

• Newborns (0 to 3 months) — 14 to 17 hours per day

• Infants (4 to 11 months) — 12 to 15 hours per day

• Toddlers (1 to 2 years old) — 11 to 14 hours per day

• Preschoolers (3 to 5 years old) — 11 to 14 hours per day

• School age (6 to 13 years old) — 9 to 11 hours per day

• Teens (14 to 17 years old) — 8 to 10 hours per day

• Younger adults (18 to 25 years old) — 7 to 9 hours per day

• Adults (26 to 64 years old) — 7 to 9 hours per day

• Older adults (65 and older) — 7 to 8 hours per day

So now that you know how many hours of sleep you should be getting, I’ve put together an infographic of some tips for getting more restful sleep. I also suggest trying the Free App HeadSpace or simply searching YouTube for a progressive relaxation video to help you relax and get ready for bed.

To measure your Sleep Debt and see how sleep deprived you really are you can Sleep Debt Handout to download the Free PDF and answer the questions & then total up your answers to receive your score.

If you find that your still having issues sleeping after trying multiple ways of inducing sleepiness, it might be time to go see your doctor, and make sure that something more serious isn’t involved.

Knowledge is POWER! Take care of yourselves my lovely lioness ladies!! You are needed and loved! And you CANNOT take care of other people if you yourself are not taken care of first! The airline instructions always tell you to put your oxygen mask on FIRST, before putting on your child’s mask! BECAUSE, if you pass out trying to put your child’s mask on, how are you going to continue to take care of and comfort the child THEN?! YOU CAN’T! Ok, so same logic here! If you are on empty, what good are you for the people that you love and want to care for?